To 50 lbs...and beyond!!

Life is great! It just is. I've now lost 58.4 lbs and had a 5 lb loss just this past week! Words can't express how excited I am as I approach the 250 lb. mark. Since I had my first baby back in 2000, I have been over 280 lbs. I gained almost 90 lbs in that one pregnancy alone. To finally be under that...feels amazing. At 272.2 lbs, I still have plenty of things I can't quite do and things I don't fit into...but it's infinitely better than 330!

This past week in my Jilly's Losers group, a few of us picked out personal goals that we wanted to accomplish for the week. Nathan and I chose to not have any soda for 7 days. I thought it would be extremely difficult and even painful haha...but it was a piece of cake! And I am pretty sure it contributed to my big weight loss this week. Do I think I'll be cutting soda out of my life completely? No. I must've had 3 Mt. Dews last night during our Super Bowl party...but now that I've learned the affect it seems to have on me, I'll sure be drinking less.

My group of Jilly's Losers is doing amazing. It seems we've all had a stressful couple of weeks, but as a whole we've lost more than 220 lbs! That's a whole overweight person! I wish I had thought of doing something like this sooner. It is by far the best motivational tool I have ever found and knowing that it's helping other people is just the best feeling in the world. We still have 3 months to go, so it's fun to see the way the results shuffle every week as everyone fights to get healthy and win the top prize. It's great to see the hard work everyone puts in and the optimism that just flows through that group and keeps everyone going.

I've changed up my workouts a bit. Instead of an hour of straight out cardio, I've now started trying intervals. Things like walking for 3 minutes then sprinting for 1. It gets my heart rate up faster and keeps it up while I'm walking. I sweat harder and seem to burn more calories. Though I can only seem to stand 40 minutes at this pace. I also took one day to swim laps for an hour. Holy crap was that hard. I don't know how I used to do it so effortlessly as a kid. I guess "kid" is the key word there. It really is a great workout and I felt it for days!

Now if only I could get my diet under complete control. I still struggle with getting enough protein and not having too many carbs. Even when I am under my calorie limit, I can't seem to find the right balance my body needs to steadily lose weight. Here's to hitting 60 lbs this week!

Season 2 Underway!

(Before and after pic...Sept. '11 vs. Jan. '12)

Season 2 of my Jilly's Losers group is finally underway and I'm both overwhelmed and excited by it. My little group of 9 has swelled to 30 participants!! It's a lot to keep track of and a lot of responsibility, but I can't even begin to express how much I love it. Season 2 will go through the end of April and I cannot wait to see the transformations.

My friends and family must think I'm nuts, as much as I obsess about this group and about weight loss now, but I really don't care! haha. I've waited my whole life to have this kind of motivation and now that I've found it, I'm not letting it go. I'm now 2 lbs away from having lost 50 lbs. These last 10 lbs have seemed to take forever. They're making me work for it, that's for sure. But 50 lbs is a huge milestone for me, and I cannot wait to hit it. I now weigh 282.6. I haven't been that low in years, but it's been even longer since I can remember being in the 270's, so I really want to break that barrier if I can this week!

For Christmas I got the Xbox 360 Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout "game". Game my ass. This thing has nearly killed me every time I've done it, but I love it! When I can't get to the gym due to sick kids or whatever else..it's perfect for me. It even has challenges that you can do "for fun" against other contestants. I've never sweat so hard. It's great.

My new big goal, however, is to look hot for my baby sister, Cami's, wedding in 2013! It gives me just enough time to get to my goal weight if I keep up the pace. No one who hasn't been through the same experiences can possibly understand what it feels like to be "the fat sister" in all the pictures. It may sound vain to want to look as gorgeous in those pictures as my other sisters always have, but I really really do! So whatever dress she picks out for us girls to wear, I'm determined to rock it! I haven't rocked a dress since I was 16.

My more short term goal is to make the trip out to Massachusetts to visit my sister Heidi and her family, who just had a brand new baby. I'm so excited to see that cute little munchkin and my other niece and nephew, but I'm also excited to have Heidi take me to her gym and give me the workout of my life. She used to be a personal trainer and has been a huge help for me and my weight loss group over the past several months. Getting to work out with her in person would give me just the push I need...and hopefully give me some new ways to work out back home!

I'm so grateful to have a family who encourages and supports me. Even my kids get in on the workouts with me. And with all 3 of them in school now..I even get a few hours to myself each week! Off to the gym!

Season 1 ends

I have to say I'm really proud of myself. That sounds like bragging..and I guess it is. But like my Grandpa Heaton always used to say...it ain't braggin' if you can do it! "Season 1" of my Jillys Losers weight loss competition ended yesterday and I just can't stop smiling. It was just a small group of us this time around, but I feel like I did something good. Not only did it help me to lose another 26 lbs (I'm now down 46 from my heaviest)...but it also helped people I love and people that became new friends to lose weight with me. I'm so proud of them that words can't even express.

I've done Weight Watchers before and Jenny Craig and every other weight loss plan in the book. But nothing I've ever done before had this much success. Ever. After 3 months, I have a close knit group of friends who push me like no one ever has. We weigh in every week and give each other advice and pointers and we talk every day. Everyone is held accountable. There's even a little competitive edge to it that makes us all want to try harder every week. I'm just so happy to be a part of something that has improved my life and my health and that of others as well. There's still such a LONG way to go.

As a group of 9, we lost over 150 lbs in 13 weeks. It's not quite the same as if we were all on the Biggest Loser ranch, but it's still pretty damn good! We're starting "Season 2" on January 1st and I am hoping to get more of my friends and family involved. I have to laugh..that after trying literally every diet in the book..the thing that worked the best is just regular exercise and calorie counting. I guess I've known that my whole life huh?

46 lbs down...134 to go! I'm determined to look sexy as hell at my baby sister's wedding!

The Protein Overdose

...or lack thereof. I lost more weight in 2 weeks at my parents house than I did in almost 2 months time at home and frankly..it's pissing me off. I go to the gym almost daily for at LEAST 90 mins. I eat 16-1700 calories a day..and I still find myself only losing 1.5 lbs a week, if that! My sister Heidi and I have come to the conclusion that my body just has some screwed up super-sensitivity to carbs. And when I don't get enough protein into my system..it doesn't matter how many calories I ate. I won't lose.

Maeli tells me I should be getting in around 180-190g of protein a day (as does every website I've looked at). And it's FREAKING HARD! I got in 105 yesterday...127 the day before. But I'm still struggling with it! In Florida I had both parents helping me immensely by making protein shakes twice a day and always having protein bars on hand. And I was just more careful I guess. Having 8 people in a one floor house tends to make you very conscious about what you eat haha. But I was also a lot more active. Not only did I get in workout time at the gym, but there was always something else going on. Golfing, the beach, bike riding, family outings..you name it. At home, I tend to keep to myself more and with the cold, crappy weather..it's even less incentive to go anywhere!

So this week, Nathan and I decided to pull out our "Iron Will" selves and really get serious about things. No eating after 7. No eating out (unless it's Subway). No desserts and hopefully LOTS of protein. So we'll see how it goes. Our Jilly's Losers competition ends in a little less than 2 weeks and I'm in 3rd place. So, if I want any chance at moving up in the ranks, I need to work my ass off!! So bring on the protein overdose!

It IS possible to lose weight on vacation!

It's possible that I'm a little bit insane. I just returned from a 3 1/2 week long trip to Florida with my kids...in which I drove the whole way. Nathan drove out with us but had to fly back for work after a few days, so the trip back...all 2400 miles...was all me! But in between the long, tiring drives..we had an amazing vacation. My mom usually has a habit of baking yummy treats for the grandkids when they come to visit, so I was worried that dieting while there would be impossible. Turns out I was wrong!

My mom did bake once or twice, but the entire time I was there..both my parents did everything they could to help me stay on track and I can't say thank you enough. They kept healthy foods in the house and made me protein shakes left and right. My mom also took me to the gym a few times each week and kept me active by going golfing or with trips to the beach. I even went for my first bike ride in over a decade with my sister Tiffany! I've been afraid to for so long because of my weight. Afraid of embarrassing myself and popping a tire or just looking like a fat girl on a bike. But I did it! I rode 3 miles without stopping and it felt amazing.

Over the 3 weeks I was away, I lost 10 lbs and I was SO proud of myself!! It's funny though...now it seems being home is the hard part. I have to re-adjust all over again to reality. My first workout nearly killed me because of the change in altitude and the dryness of the air. Not to mention I hadn't lifted any weights in 3 weeks (only did cardio in Florida) and so my muscle soreness is off the charts!

Tomorrow is Monday and the holiday is over..the kids will be back in school and Nathan back to work. So hopefully I'll fall right back into my own routine as well. I'm 1 lb. away from being 289...the lowest weight I got to on hcg before I got sick and gained so much of it back. So that puts me down 40 lbs from my highest weight and people actually notice it a bit now! It feels great to see people I haven't seen in a while and hear, "wow you've lost weight!" Let's see what they say a year from now!

Owwwwww....

Heading into week 5 of my Facebook version of biggest loser and everyone's been doing really great..but HOLY CRAP am I sore!! Words can't even express how much easier this is for me to keep going every day with so many great friends doing it alongside me. I only lost 1.2 lbs this week, which to be honest...pissed me off. But as a group we lost 24 lbs! That's pretty freaking incredible.

Being the biggest girl in the group is hard. My percentages are horrible compared to those of the smaller girls and it can get pretty depressing..especially after working really hard during the week. But it just pushes me to keep going. I KNOW I'll get there.

I'm definitely addicted to my workouts now. I spend at least 90 mins a day in the gym if not more and I'm getting more conscious about what I eat. I think my problem is too many carbs and not enough protein..despite the fact that I've been eating healthier kinds of carbs for the most part. Something is still causing my body to hang onto the weight. So I'm going to change up a few things this week and see what helps. The biggest challenge will be having no sugar for the whole week. It was a challenge posted by my group and while I hate it...I love it. I know it will help me lose more and hopefully start a trend.

One thing I've definitely noticed a change in, even if my weight isn't changing much...is my self confidence. It no longer bothers me to be in a weight room full of strong, gorgeous men or skinny, beautiful women. Now instead of seeing them as people who are judging me...I see them as examples of where I'm trying to get. I want that. I want to look cute in leggings and a tank top when I workout! I want to have a butt that guys stare at when I bend over hahaha. I do!! So the people who used to scare me...now help to motivate me. I still have a long way to go, but getting out of the house to workout every day has really helped.

I really do think it's going to stick this time. I've been working out 4-5 days a week in the gym for going on 6 weeks now and I LOVE it! A year from now I'll feel silly for being so whiney and impatient about it. Now if only I had a time machine to get there.

Week 2 of Jilly's Losers!

So I'm totally in love with this FB version of The Biggest Loser that I was able to put together with some friends of mine. It's been a HUGE motivation and support for me and now that some of the stress/chaos in my life has subsided, I actually had a great weight loss week! I was down 2.8 lbs this week, which is infinitely better than the .2 lbs I lost last week. Since I'm a bigger girl to start with, that's not a very high percentage of weight loss compared to my other awesome "Losers", but I can't be upset with almost 3 lbs in one week. I'll admit, sometimes I miss the 10 lbs/week of the hcg diet...but at the same time I know that in the long run, doing it this way will be much more long term and a complete life changer for me.

Last week I worked out 6 days, which is my goal. It was the first time I've ever accomplished it and I was so proud of myself. It's hard work though. I'm still a bit sore but it's getting easier. Not to mention blisters are becoming normal haha. But I actually am to a point now that I crave that time in the gym. I crave the time away from the chaos of home and the responsibilities of mom/housekeeper for a couple hours.

I'm still working on my eating habits, but having this BodyMedia Fit armband seriously helps. It's amazing how much more conscious I am about my food choices when I see the calories of EVERYTHING and how it balances out with my caloric burn for the day. I aim to burn at LEAST 1,000 more calories a day than I take in, so it's nice that I can see what I can afford to eat at any given time...and most days I'm way over that 1,000 mark! Exercising is far easier than eating right though, I've decided.

So my goal for week 3 is to lose more than 3 pounds. I'm 7.8 lbs away from being under 300 again and this time I want to STAY under 300. So I'm going to work my ass off (hopefully literally!) and we'll see how it goes. I feel so blessed to have the support that I have. I don't know what I'd do without such amazing friends and family.